A wide variety of computerized devices are available to users, including smart phones, tablets, laptop and desktop computers, home entertainment system (HES) devices (televisions, digital video recorders, programmable streaming service nodes and devices), Internet-of-Things (IoT) appliances (heating and cooling system thermostats, home lighting systems, refrigerators, kitchen appliances, door openers, security systems, etc.). It is common for an individual user to have more than one device, and for one household of users to have many.
Multiple, separate devices may be interconnected in order to exchange information via local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth® and other communication systems and communications mechanisms and protocols, for example, via Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) protocol communications. (BLUETOOTH is a trademark of Bluetooth Sig Inc. within the United States or other countries.) Users may configure the devices to interconnect within a trusted network, wherein they may freely share data files (including address book contacts, documents, spreadsheets and other database files, application files, and media files (music, picture, video), and access to system components (printers, wireless nodes, etc.).